The following contains spoilers for MobLand Season 1, Episode 7, «The Crossroads,» now streaming on Paramount+.
Ritchie Stevenson is after retribution and audiences best believe MobLand delivers. Consumed by revenge following the murder of his wife and son, “The Crossroads” signals a turning point in hostilities between Ritchie and the Harrigan clan. Having been tipped off by Maeve about an Antwerp deal, this episode is pure search and rescue, Harry Da Souza style. Brendan and Seraphina are in the wind, having been snatched by irate business associates, while Stevenson uses them as leverage to exact some payback. Brazen and brutal in the pursuit of some recompense, MobLand goes full Scarface, dragging audiences along for the ride.
With an undercover operation closing in, everyone is holed up in a country manor, while this episode switches between tranquil landscapes and rapid arms fire. Harry is on high alert, following a trail of breadcrumbs that sees him bike halfway around Europe. Back at home, Eddie gets cozy with Gina, while Jan and Alice meet up at the last minute for a country pub heart-to-heart. Now more than ever, MobLand is about the relationships that shape this story, where power and status remain the goal — a goal that makes Brendan and Seraphina expendable, unless Harry can call in a favor.
Ritchie Stevenson Rules the Roost
Meanwhile, Maeve Harrigan Comes Unstuck
Ritchie Stevenson holds all the cards in this gripping episode as he orchestrates bloody revenge. In true gangland style, Geoff Bell goes to town within the skin of this character, double-crossing a traitor inside Harrigan’s clan. Trading on the over-confidence of Maeve Harrigan, played with conniving zeal by Helen Mirren, MobLand comes alive. With the ice-cool composure of a Grand Master, Ritchie Stevenson outmaneuvers this gangster’s moll in wolf’s clothing. From behind his desk and through the power of technology, he offers this cozy clan a front row seat. Audiences who felt let down by “Antwerp Blues” will have their confidence restored by an episode that doubles down on the complexity of these characters.
Harry Da Souza might be front and center, but much of what makes “The Crossroads” excellent happens outside his influence. Tom Hardy might be doing his best blunt instrument James Bond, but Maeve Harrigan is where the true power exists. Throughout MobLand, she has been manipulating Conrad and grooming Eddie for greatness, counting on her proximity to provide protection. It’s an approach that has not only been successful but almost ousted her husband from power. Here the delicate balance comes undone as karma comes back around to pay Maeve a visit.
Ritchie (to Maeve): You know Maeve, I used to respect you, you had power.
“The Crossroads” is not only a fitting title for Episode 7, given how precarious things have become, but it also feels symbolic. There is unrest in the Harrigan ranks and slowly everything is unraveling. With a move that Maeve considered infallible, her world is now crashing down. For audiences enjoying this drama, it now feels like this family are caught inside a rat trap with their options running out fast. Now more than ever, MobLand is moving into uncharted territory, propelled by a powerhouse ensemble that intentionally blindsides its audiences.
Harry Remains a Huge Influence on MobLand
This Might Be Tom Hardy’s Best Performance
Harry Da Souza might be on the back burner in theory, but there is no denying his influence on MobLand. “The Crossroads” sees him turn full action hero, taking out bad guys and administering his own form of justice. Compelled by loyalty, Harry goes in search of Brendan and Seraphina, who have been waylaid in Antwerp. With the grounded precision Tom Hardy brings to every role, Harry dispatches any obstacles by applying force and a splash of coercion. This is exactly where the action is for every minute of MobLand in a literal sense. In full tactical gear and on speed dial to Conrad, audiences come within a whisker of saving the foolhardy elements of this family thanks to da Souza.
Cat (to Harry): Harry, you owe me.
Audiences get a front row seat to this man of action, who moves heaven and earth to reunite Conrad with his children. What MobLand continues to do with this character is keep him interesting. Being in a broken relationship is a cliché for any other actor in this role, but Tom Hardy finds new layers to uncover. Stoic, embittered, yet coolly calculating, Harry Da Souza could be the role of his career. This might sound like a sweeping statement considering MobLand is merely a streaming series, but it underlines something far more important. Large-scale mainstream entertainment is no longer confined to cinemas, despite what writer-directors like Quentin Tarantino might say.
Alice Has Ulterior Motives
Jan Lives a Life of Quiet Desperation
Back on home turf, Jan Da Souza has been making her own waves with best friend Alice. It is a low-key relationship that would be perfectly innocent if not for some ulterior motives. Alice is the linchpin in a sting operation designed to entrap, undermine, and capture Conrad Harrigan for good. The pleasure for audiences is from sitting back and watching writers Ronan Bennett and Jez Butterworth weave their magic. Emily Barber has done some impressive work with minimal screen time, opposite an underappreciated Joanne Froggatt. Best known for starring in The Alienist and Bridgerton, Barber brings something to Alice that gives Jan Da Souza more substance.
Paul (to Jan): I heard killers and gangsters, what’s that about?
Their dynamic offers audiences an opportunity to see this trophy wife with her guard down outside the MobLand machine. What it also does is make Alice more believable by taking her out of that police procedural sub-plot that sometimes threatens to derail their connection. Within “The Crossroads”, this meeting acts to defuse tensions both at home and abroad, keeping things ticking over as audiences enjoy their precarious position while knowing how deceitful and underhanded Alice has actually been. However, MobLand maintains the dramatic balance by bringing resident attack dog Paul in to break them up before Alice gets too comfortable, not only re-establishing boundaries but giving A Working Man alumni Emmett J. Scanlan time to shine.
Brendan Harrigan is Out of Options
MobLand Gets Medieval
The money shot in MobLand happens between Brendan Harrigan, Seraphina, and a chainsaw. There are no holds barred in depicting their fate and this Paramount+ original goes up a notch as a result. As audiences look on in horror, this entertaining and inventive gangland drama comes close to the legenary goriness of horror filmmaker Eli Roth. However, that violence has been justified, those actions encouraged, and therefore audiences will understand. What follows is the simple result of an escalation between rival crime families, minus a major miscalculation from Maeve Harrigan. What this moment also does is remind anyone watching that MobLand still means business.
Tied to a chair and soaked in sweat, Brendan Harrigan begs for his life. Daniel Betts might have had a lesser role up until now, but he milks these moments with care. Overstep by a single degree, and he risks drifting into caricature; go the other way and audiences might be alienated. In the end, his performance elevates these uncomfortable scenes into something with emotional depth. Mandeep Dhillon is in a similar position playing Seraphina, both entitled and illegitimate, but no less precious to Conrad. Confronted with the reality of their own mortality, these trust-fund babies instantly buckle.
Lopez (to Seraphina and Brendan): Your father is not the man he was.
From now on, all bets are off in terms of where audiences can expect to draw the line. There is a rat inside the Harrigan household, and her tenuous grip on power is beginning to slip. Having sided with Ritchie Stevenson against her husband, it is only a matter of time before everyone turns on Maeve. It’s something that allows audiences to revel in the moral ambiguity of this latest episode, as MobLand peels back more layers in this essential crime drama.
“The Crossroads” Is a Truly Compelling Episode
Kevin Harrigan Is Still Being Sidelined
“The Crossroads” is another excellent entry in this impressive series. Just when audiences might expect MobLand to settle into a routine, it continues to surprise. With relationships still being explored within the Harrigan mansion, there is still plenty to unpack. However, Kevin is still being sidelined, even though his prison time hides some dark secrets worth telling. Paddy Considine has been a background player for too many episodes now, and time is running out for resolutions.
If there are any criticisms about MobLand, a lack of action for this character remains front and center. Everyone else gets their moment in the sun, from Eddie on down to Gina Da Souza, yet Kevin rarely gets a look in. It might seem like a minor thing, but hints of some major retribution against an old adversary are still being dropped into every episode. “The Crossroads” is no different, giving audiences glimpses of a traumatic past through flashbacks. However, they amount to very little and feel like an afterthought alongside all the other action.
Thankfully, this latest episode puts every other foot right, delivering some of the most compelling drama on Paramount+. With a truly stacked cast including Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, and Lara Pulver, MobLand has audiences hooked for good reason. Harry Da Souza might hold everything together, but at the center of this show is a dynamic dysfunctional family. The fact they are defined through criminal activities and resort to violence when conversations fall short only makes this series more intriguing.
The fact that this episode also offers audiences a glimpse of someone new is also crucial. Somewhere in the world on a private jet, Harry has another connection capable of making miracles happen when everyone is out of options. Who they are and how they met is a mystery that acts as an enticing cliffhanger, closing out an episode sure to get people talking. However, how much that favor has cost Harry is another conversation entirely.
MobLand streams Sundays on Paramount+ and airs Mondays at 8:00 p.m. on Paramount+ with Showtime.
- Kevin Harrigan continues to be overlooked in an otherwise impressive drama.
